Suitable Soul
by Llyrica
Summary: The Shinigami took Minato's soul, leaving an empty place in the cycle. Another soul fills this place, but will the soul really be suitable for the role it has to fill? AU, female!Minato, Semi-SI, No Slash. Being Rewritten. Rewrite published as another story, so this is marked Complete though it's currently Unfinished, but I've updated this story for the last time.
1. Prologue

Author's Note

This is my attempt at explaining how my Semi-SI character manages to wind up in female!Minato's body. I don't really believe in being reborn into this world or another one (though I find the idea fun to play with), so this isn't really based on any existing religion's idea of reincarnation (or at least, not that I'm aware of). The reincarnation thing won't really affect the (rough) plot I have in mind. This fanfiction will be a bit AU because of the obvious SI and gender changes, but also because: a) this is a fanfiction, so I can play around with canon a bit to better suit my own wants and needs, and b) because though I'll try to follow user-made timelines I find on the Naruto wikia (PM me if you want the link to the site or you could just Google it), some things are confusing and I'm not patient enough to make sense of them, therefore I may decide to mess with when things happen or how old people are, and c) it's been a while since I actually read or watched Naruto and I'll probably end this fanfiction before things would need to get canon-centric. I do have a more detailed explanation of how reincarnation works in this fanfiction, but it doesn't really affect the plot very much. Feel free to ask questions about anything that confuses you, though.

Thank you for reading (especially if you actually read through this monstrous author's note)! I look forward to hearing what you think! So long as it's given politely, I welcome criticism with open arms. If you point out something that I need to fix, I will thank you and give you credit for pointing out the need for the fix. If I purposely did something wrong (creative use of English/plot discrepancy), I will politely let you know and thank you for pointing it out to me. If you simply want to say thank you/good job, that's cool too. If I was not clear on something, or you have any questions about how something works or makes sense, feel free to PM or review, and I will try to respond ASAP.

Prologue

The Shinigami hadn't realized how much of a pain it'd be to find a soul to take the place of Minato in the cycle of rebirth. The replacement soul had to somehow be unattached to its own cycle, or else it would revert to its proper place and leave Minato's spot vacant too soon. To make things even more difficult, the soul needed to share some similarity with Minato's, otherwise the soul would reject its place and cause too many problems within the cycle.

Time was critical, and there was only one soul that _might_ work. The soul's attachment to its own cycle was weak, but it was a loyal and intelligent soul that would help it to fit well in Minato's place. Successfully detaching it from its cycle and forcefully placing it in Minato's might be possible. The next life in Minato's cycle was nearing quickly, and it was already almost too late. The soul would need to be attached at conception so that it could acclimate to its new place. Any later, and the soul wouldn't take, leaving the baby to be stillborn. No other soul was both ready and suitable for the place, but it had to be done _now_. The Shinigami would have to use this other soul and hope that the repercussions would not be too drastic. If they were, at least the Shinigami didn't have a boss to answer to. There would simply be one more messed up or empty cycle.

…

The soul floated, dreaming and distancing itself from its past life and preparing for its next. People and events were reviewed and then forgotten, for in the next life it would need to make its decisions without being influenced by how things used to be. The soul's episodic memory (experiences and their context, including emotions) was almost gone. The events and emotions were no more than impressions, like when a person awakens from a dream and can remember how they felt but not what happened. Procedural memory (how to do things) was still present for basic movements, but was fading more quickly than the declarative memory (facts, meanings, concepts, and general knowledge of the world) and would be completely erased in just a few more seconds. The soul's declarative memory was almost completely intact, with about four fifths of it remaining. The soul was naturally inclined to easily grasp concepts and remember things from its declarative memory, which made these memories more difficult to erase between lives.

Suddenly, the soul _felt_ something. This wasn't right. It hadn't been reborn; it couldn't _feel_ , not yet. This was too soon. Too soon! Not right! No! It hurt. Something was wrong, but what? What had changed? The connection. The connection to the cycle was gone. No! There had still been a place for it in the cycle. No matter how fleeting or insignificant its place had become, it still had a place to fill! But there was something else: another presence nearby. The Shinigami? Why was the Shinigami here? The soul was not aware of anything that would warrant its presence. What could be wrong? What had it done in its past life that had made the Shinigami feel the need to interfere? The soul couldn't remember. If punishment or retribution was required, shouldn't the Shinigami have caught it before it forgot what the soul was paying for?

 _Peace. You are not in trouble. You are simply needed elsewhere. Your absence from your own cycle will not cause too many issues. You will fill the place of a soul that is currently paying for a deal it made. This soul is important. Its place in the cycle is vital, though this next life may determine whether this place's significance waxes or wanes in the cycle. I know this is early for you, but you are the best soul available for this place. Here. This is the place you will fill. You will fill all future lives for this place in this cycle._

The pain faded, replaced by a new connection. It was still slightly uncomfortable, but the new place wasn't too bad. The soul could fit and integrate itself into the new cycle, though this was not natural for it. The connection suddenly _pulled_ on the soul, signaling that it was time to move on to the next life. The soul was not quite ready, but the Shinigami had placed it here, and it had to answer the call or face the unpleasant consequences.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Having knowledge of things that no one had ever taught you could not be normal, but Minato had always known more than anyone realized. She tried to play it off as being a genius, though her parents knew better. They themselves were known to be shrewd and, despite their lack of formal schooling, were generally acknowledged as borderline geniuses by those who knew them. Their older children had also been thought of as incredibly intelligent, yet Minato knew more than her eldest sibling. Minato's knowledge was beyond what any genius could infer on his or her own, and she knew things that could not be found in any of the books she has access to. The only thing that convinced her parents that she was actually a child, and not a wholly unnatural being, was that for all her knowledge and intellect, Minato was still a child emotionally and physically. When Minato told them that she wished to become a shinobi, they had their doubts, but didn't openly oppose her. Neither parent would admit it to anyone else, but they even felt a measure of guilty relief. Although she was their daughter, her abnormality had unnerved even them.

…

Minato knew that people were uncomfortable when she knew more than she should, including her parents. She'd tried to come up with explanations and excuses, but even she did not actually know how she had learned so much. It scared her, but she'd grown up with it and couldn't imagine what her life would be like without it. The knowledge was always just there, an addendum to what she'd learned naturally from others or on her own. The knowledge was not always right, though. Minato's parents had mentioned that she'd struggled with learning to speak when she was younger, and she still felt like she struggled with reading and writing, though her progress was actually rather quick for a child her age. Her parents taught her one language, but her extra knowledge told her how to speak, read, and write another one. The scary part was that Minato knew she was more comfortable with this other language, though no one else seemed to recognize it when she slipped up and used it instead of the new language she was learning.

When others realized how smart she was, they inevitably began asking about what she planned on doing when she grew up. Minato had just assumed that she would help her parents out with running the merchant caravan until one day she met a boy she liked, got married, and then supported him in whatever occupation he held. After all, her mother had grown up helping out with her father's shop, married, and now travelled with the caravan to take care of buying and selling most of their merchandise. However, Minato would always remember the day that being a great shinobi became her goal.

…

The caravan had pulled in to rest for the night. Horses were corralled, supper was made, and the merchants went to sleep – all but the smallest one, that is. A small, blond-haired, six-year-old girl was trying to sneak up on the shinobi guard taking first watch. _Just one more step_ , she thought, _and I'll pass my previous record._ Minato knew that shinobi were trained to notice spies and assassins, but it was fun to see how close she could get before they'd send her back to her parents. This game had certainly made her first long trip with the caravan a lot more interesting. Suddenly, the shinobi turned and threw a kunai over her head and into the nearby brush. At first, Minato thought that he'd gotten fed up with her antics and wanted to scare her into stopping, but then she heard the kunai hit something that didn't quite sound like wood. Her stomach sank. She knew shinobi killed people, but that was close, too close. Minato dreaded what she would see if she turned around. Suddenly, she was pulled in next to someone and a hand covered her mouth. The hand muffled her startled scream and remained over her mouth even when she bit and licked it. Minato struggled, but she was too small - too weak - to do anything.

"Stop it! Relax, kid, it's me." The man's whispering voice was familiar. He was the shinobi she'd been sneaking up on. Minato relaxed. "Stay quiet. I'm going to take you back to your parents. You'll _stay_ with them while my teammates and I take care of some shinobi business, okay?" The shinobi felt her nod and removed his hand. He carried her over the caravan leaders' wagon, set her inside, and disappeared into the darkness.

Minato's family remained asleep, so she decided to wait. After all, the shinobi hadn't woken them up. He'd told her to be quiet and wait while he and his fellow shinobi took care of things, so she assumed the shinobi either wanted the caravan to remain unaware of the threat, or they wanted to lull the threat into a feeling a false sense of security so that they'd be easier to take care of. Minato strained her eyes and ears listening for any noise. If the shinobi couldn't take care of things, she would scream like a banshee and hope that the warning would help her family and the other merchants. There was a bit of rustling and a bump against the side of a wagon, but nothing else. A few minutes passed, and the shinobi came back to the wagon.

"Pst, kid, wake up your dad quietly and tell him we need to talk." Minato carefully made her way over to her parents, but she could still hear the shinobi outside.

"Idiot, I thought _you_ were going to get the caravan leader." That was the shinobi's male teammate. Minato didn't really like him. Something felt _off_ about him that she couldn't really explain. It made her uneasy around him. That alone wouldn't have been enough for her to actually dislike him, but he acted as though everyone was beneath him. He even talked with her parents and other adults in a way that was so _slick_ it was condescending and patronizing without being outright rude.

"Yeah, but, the kid's still awake, and this way we don't have to worry about intruding on them."

"Really? I would've thought that you'd jump at the chance to possibly sneak up on the caravan leader's wife while she's asleep, pervert." That was the female shinobi, and Minato _really_ didn't need to have heard that. Did they think she was deaf? Ugh. She began to nudge her father and hoped that he woke up soon. Unfortunately, though her father was a lighter sleeper than her mother, her father was still not easy to wake up quietly.

"Hey! I am a pervert, but I'm also a shinobi, and I'm not going to endanger the mission like that." There was a pause, and then he continued with a grumbling voice, "Besides, the kid's still in there."

"Oh! So the idiot actually has some sense of decency left in him. Watch out, Tsunade, he might actually become a decent fellow."

"Bah! Don't insult me! I'm a super a pervert! I'll show you!" _Thud._ "Ow! What was that for?" Minato's father began to stir.

"Quiet, pervert, or do want the whole caravan to wake up after all the trouble we took to keep them blissfully unaware and well-rested for the last leg of the journey? The only ones that need to know are the leaders, since they hired us."

Inside the wagon, Minato was glad that her father was finally awake, though she wished he'd woken up sooner. "Whuh? Huh? Minato? You'd better not have been bothering the shinobi again."

"Actually, father, they want to talk to with you outside." He grunted and made his way out of the wagon to go speak with the shinobi. Minato listened to her father walk away from the wagons and into the bushes. The shinobi probably went with him too, though they walked too quietly for her to tell. _If only they could speak more quietly too_ , she thought, remembering what had been said about her favorite of their three guards and her mother.

As Minato contemplated the events of that night, her thoughts drifted to a conversation she'd had with her father when he'd picked her up from her aunt's house and walked with her to where the caravan prepared to set out on their current trip.

\- Flashback -

"Now, Minato, travelling with the caravan may not be as exciting as you imagine. There will be a lot of long, boring days where all we do is walk or ride along the road. Though you may get bored, remember not to bother anyone too much, especially our shinobi escorts."

"Shinobi? But, father, why do we need shinobi escorts? Auntie doesn't like shinobi. She says they're no-good, selfish, money-grubbing, perverted, killers."

"Well, despite the fact that shinobi may not always be the best of people, they are very capable guards. With a shinobi escort, we can be assured that most robbers and thugs will leave us alone, and those that don't will soon learn why they should have. I'm not a fan of shinobi, but like most people, they do a job and they get paid. In this case, the job they have is to protect our caravan. Now, since they are responsible for keeping us safe, you better not bother them, so that they can do their job properly."

"Hmmm. I see what you mean, Father. I should make sure not to complicate their job, and they might not be the best of people, so I should be wary, correct?"

Her father gave her a sideways look heavy with consideration and said in a heavy tone, "Yes, Minato, that is precisely what I mean."

-End Flashback-

As the trip progressed, Minato's curiosity lead her to get to know the shinobi escorts, though she was careful to not be too annoying or to disturb them when they were busy. She hadn't realized that there might actually be a threat levelled against them at night, since the shinobi (at least her favorite one, anyway) hadn't seemed bothered by her nightly sneaking game. Perhaps there were other threats they'd taken care of that she hadn't known about. Did they always do that? Keeping quiet about threats would make the fellow members of the caravan more happy and content, and a good safety record would encourage other merchants to join with them.

The shinobi worked hard to protect people, and left civilians largely unaware that there was even a threat, helping to keep them feeling comfortable and safe. These shinobi seemed to serve and protect people, and yet so many had a bad image of them. If Minato became a shinobi, she could help and protect people. Maybe she could even find a way to portray what they did in a good light, so that civilians would think better of the people that kept them safe. Yes, that's what she'd do. In the morning, she would have to talk with father and mother about it. Perhaps the shinobi would let her travel back to their village with them, but if not, she'd have to figure out another way.

...

"Shinobi? But, father, why do we need shinobi escorts? Auntie doesn't like shinobi. She says they're no-good, selfish, money-grubbing, perverted, killers."

Little did Minato know, but at that moment, the three shinobi waiting at the caravan suddenly found themselves attacked by a fit of sneezing.

...

Thank you very much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story so far! :D Reviews, positive and negative, are appreciated! :) No guarantees on when the next chapter will be up. Sorry about real life getting in the way and all. :( I was really hoping to be able to update this on a semi-regular basis, but alas, that does not seem to be a viable option at the moment. :(


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

A young girl faced the village overshadowed by the Hokages' faces, and her blue eyes shone with determination as she strode toward the gate. Her approach was watched with amusement as the chunin guards figured that another kid had run away from home to become a ninja. All too soon, though, she'd discover that entering the academy wouldn't be so easy, they thought. Even gaining entrance to the village would likely be difficult for her. How long would it take for her to give up? Ten minutes? Thirty? Or maybe even an hour? The guards placed their bets. Making little brats throw temper tantrums and run away crying was not a task most gate guards enjoyed, but it happened often enough for the guards to have made it into a game. As she closed on the gate, the guards prepared to stop her and crush her dreams of marching into Konoha and plowing through the academy. However, the blond-haired brat turned to them and addressed them calmly.

"Please, hear me out before you turn me away. My name is Minato Namikaze, and I seek to enter The Academy and become a shinobi. I know that shinobi lead hard lives, but they allow civilians to live relatively peaceful, happy lives. Even insignificant villages would not be safe from the other nations if there were no shinobi in Fire Country. How could I ignore this and selfishly pursue a comfortable and mundane life, when I could instead protect the safety and happiness of many?

"Everyone, even a seven year old girl like me, knows that a war is likely to begin in a matter of years. Tensions between the nations are high, and reports of clashes between shinobi are becoming more and more prolific. If a war really does break out, Konoha is going to need more shinobi.

"My parents may not be happy with my decision, but they have agreed that if I would travel here and gain admittance to The Academy on my own, then they would not interfere. Chunin Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade of Konoha witnessed my parents' decision and could corroborate my story. Could you tell me what else may be required to enter Konoha and enroll in The Academy?"

The guards considered the girl skeptically and figured that this one might just have potential. Minato's advanced vocabulary indicated that she was already well-educated and highly intelligent. Calmly presenting her reasons to the guard, mentioning her parents' permission, listing credible witnesses, and asking about the entrance requirements demonstrated maturity and forethought beyond her years. She had travelled to the village on her own, which meant that Minato must be reasonably fit as well as determined to become a shinobi. Perhaps neither of them would win the bet this time around, though the girl still had to prove her loyalty to the village. A quick and discrete genjustu, henge, and disguise check showed that the girl was what she appeared to be, though they'd have to check with the Hokage's students in order to confirm her identity. One of the gate guards went into Konoha to inform the Hokage and to ask after the three Konoha shinobi she'd mentioned. Though all three of the aforementioned shinobi had just recently been promoted to jounin and were no longer chunin, her mistake added credibility to her story since a normal civilian child would have had no way of knowing about the promotion.

…

Minato had thought through her introduction carefully and meticulously reviewed and practiced it during her long journey to the village. Nothing she'd said was false, and she hoped she hadn't come across as being _too_ smart. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned the approaching war? After all, that part was mostly conjecture based on things she'd begun to notice after that night months ago when the shinobi had quietly dealt with a threat. When asked, her father had admitted that fewer and fewer merchants were able to travel safely, even in the relatively peaceful Land of Fire, and that hiring mid-to high-ranked shinobi was absolutely necessary for safety, whereas in previous times such a job would only require low- to mid-ranked guards.

Kind strangers would often caution her against travelling alone and would often include something along the lines of, "especially these days," in their warnings, which indicates a recent increase in crime and violence. Minato had also noticed a great many unkind strangers lurking about, but she was careful and knew to either avoid their attention or to ensure she was nearby people who would likely help her if anyone did advance on her with criminal intent. The few times she had been caught, she'd screamed, bit, kicked, and jammed her elbows into soft, painful places until her captor released her, then high-tailed it out of there, informing law enforcement if possible, but that wasn't always an option.

Minato knew she'd been lucky to make it to Konoha unscathed, though studying her family's maps and knowing how to use the information the maps provided had given her an advantage not many civilian children had. She desperately needed to enter the safety offered by the hidden village, even if it turned out that they wouldn't let her into the academy. Her journey back to aunt's house, and from there her family's caravan wherever it may be, may not go as well for her.

The guard that had left returned and informed Minato that she could enter Konoha, and pending a positive result from an interview with an "admissions administrator," she would be able to enroll in the academy and would be granted student housing and a small allowance for food, clothing, and school supplies. Minato's heart swelled, and only her desire to retain a semblance of respectability kept her from shouting her triumphant feelings to the sky. Instead, she allowed a soft smile to appear on her face and she calmly walked through the gates.

…

Behind her, the shinobi guards smiled ruefully as none of them had won their bets, but at least they hadn't needed to deal with a crying brat. Though the girl had tried to hide her excitement, to the shinobi it was written clearly in her eyes and body language. Such excitement made them think back to their own academy days with fond nostalgia that helped to further soften the blow of lost bets.

...

I've surprised myself at how quickly I had this ready to upload, though I did have most of what is in this chapter well thought out ahead of time. Already receiving two more reviews and having more people follow and favorite this story also helped motivate me to write more, so thank you, because you people are awesome. :) :) :) Don't expect many more double updates, though. It may take me a while to get more written up, but hopefully I'll be able to get into Minato beginning life in Konoha and starting at the academy in my next update. The timeline from the Naruto wiki that I'm following says canon!Minato enters the academy when he's nine and becomes a genin at ten years old, but I figure that in my fic, Minato's parents recognize that she is uncannily smart and they have fewer reservations about sending her off to be a ninja. Also, though I don't mention it in this fic, my idea is that Minato's parents had thought Minato would wait a while longer before she set out for Konoha, especially since her father had mentioned that travelling had recently become more dangerous.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter 3

Minato fidgeted in her seat as the stack of tests circulated throughout the room, shrinking in size as students found their tests and looked them over. The test should have been easy, but Minato couldn't stop worrying about that one question: Which Hokage established The Academy? The Academy was established during the time of the Nidaime, but The Academy allowed the children in Konoha to learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones, which sounded more like something the Shodai Hokage, who was known to be protective of others, would support. Minato had, therefore, decided to take a chance and write that the Shodai had started it, but that it was only fully established under the Nidaime. After a long wait, Minato finally got her chance to lay eyes on her score and check her answers. With a mild frown and a sigh, Minato slumped in her seat. "I knew I should've just written 'The Nidaime.' Now I only have a 99."

"Go die. I hate you," an angry, but utterly blunt and truthful, voice told Minato. Wide blue eyes jerked up and locked with purple as Kushina glared at her new enemy number one and then turned back to face their instructor. The blonde's face went slack with shock.

Such open hatred had never before been directed at Minato by one of her peers. Snide, jealous comments? Only from those who were the socially elite and/or vindictive (and, in Minato's opinion, foolish) members of her class. Duplicitous flattery and pandering accompanied by requests for help? The Daimyo's courtiers could learn a few things about from her fellow shinobi-in-training. Uncomfortably high regard and expectations? Unfortunately these could be found in both peers and superiors alike, though it came in handy at times since Minato was rarely suspected of causing trouble or slacking off. Apathy (her previous favorite reaction) and disregard (unpleasantly tolerable)? In rare cases, yes. But never before had such blatant dislike been directed toward her.

Minato was thrilled. Kushina's ire was well-earned even if it wasn't returned; after all, though Minato hadn't intended to brag, her statement did convey a certain amount of conceit. This new girl's forthright, no-nonsense, confident, and abrasive attitude earned Minato's respect and admiration. A grin overtook Minato's face as she stared at the back of her new favorite person's head. Maybe Minato's last year of school would be a bit more interesting.

* * *

After a few weeks of watchful consideration, Minato ascertained that she wanted to genuinely befriend Kushina. The red-head was indeed awesome. Kushina could hold her own in a fight, which would mean sparring matches would be more educational than boring, and though she was not the most academically gifted, she had a keen mind that solved problems in simple, do-able, and alarmingly unconventional ways.

Kushina's skills and attitude didn't endear her to anyone in class, though, so Minato decided to put herself forward for the role. Everyone else had had and passed on their chance to befriend Kushina, so it wasn't like Minato had to worry about butting in on an existing friendship. Minato soon ran into a problem, though: she'd never put any effort into befriending someone before, and hadn't realized how hard it would be to befriend a stubborn person who'd decided to hate you.

"Can I sit with you?"

"Go climb a mountain and freeze to death."

"But I just want to be your friend."

"What part of 'Go die. I hate you,' do you not understand?"

"But you're awesome."

"I don't care, you crazy-brained freak."

"Thank you! And you thank you for the compliment."

Minato plopped down next to Kushina and began to eat lunch.

"What are you doing? Go away! I don't want you to sit here!"

"But you said that you don't care, and you acknowledged that I am crazily smart. Shinobi really are freaks from many civilians' point of view; why debate something that is arguably accurate?"

Minato promptly found herself viewing the clouds and nursing a bloody nose while Kushina packed up her lunch and stalked away. Obviously someone didn't like it when a person decided to take an insult and make it a compliment.

* * *

Several ("several" may be a gross understatement, but Minato would vehemently deny it if she was asked) attempts at befriending Kushina had failed in ways similar to the first, but by the end of the year, Minato was desperate and decided to use her last resort: annoying Kushina until Minato either got what she wanted or was forced to give up.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere! Stop following me, weirdo."

"But you're obviously going somewhere, otherwise you wouldn't be moving. Or are you trying to go someplace that is nowhere? If you ever do that, let me know. It'd be interesting to go somewhere that isn't anywhere, and therefore could not exist in reality."

"What?" Kushina stopped and turned to Minato with one eyebrow raised on her incredulous face, but for once Minato ignored Kushina as bright blue eyes glazed over in deep thought. Kushina continued on her way, but soon realized that Minato was absent-mindedly following and talking out loud, though she seemed to be talking to herself, so Kushina could safely tune out the bulk of Minato's muttering. Still, some of it was actually kind of interesting, in a brain-paining way.

"If you went to a place that was nowhere, could you get to anywhere from it? A place that doesn't exist in any definite place would be equally disconnected from every other place, but if you got there you should also be able to leave there. But, since it's not really tied to anywhere other than the entry and the exit points, and even then only when the person is traveling to and from nowhere, the person wouldn't really need to travel any distance in order to move from one place to another. But how would you even be able to go somewhere that is nowhere?"

Kushina reached her destination, ducked inside, ordered her ramen, turned to the person sitting next to her, and remarked in a flat voice that somehow included an exasperated twist, "Pay no attention to the raving lunatic that's stalking me. I need ramen, and you promised to pay for my dinner today, Nawaki-sempai."

"What? But you can't be! You haven't been here that long, and your scores aren't that good! No way did they let you pass! Ow!"

"Shut up and pay the ramen-man." Kushina dug into her first bowl, finished a moment later and ordered another bowl. "Make that the ramen-priest, since this is the food of the gods."

Nawaki crossed his arms with a frown. "How did you manage to pass? You didn't steal that hitai-ate, did you? You know that's highly illegal."

Kushina's eyes narrowed, her hair began to rise, and her knuckles curled into fists. "I _passed_. Like a normal person, 'ttebane. Do you really think I'm that incompetent? Even that wimp managed to pass."

Nawaki's face paled and took on a slightly terrorized visage. "Fine, but I'm not paying for your friend too." Evidently "that wimp" agreed with Kushina's food assessment, as Minato could also be seen digging into a bowl with gusto.

"She is not my friend!" Nawaki relaxed as the Habanero's temper was redirected toward the blond. "I told you to Leave. Me. Alone!" Fortunately for Minato, Kushina was promptly distracted by the convenient arrival of her second bowl. But then Minato ordered another bowl and turned to Kushina with a smirk.

"I bet I can eat more than you."

"No way. You're on, but if I win, you have to leave me alone for good."

"Fine, but if I win, I can be your friend."

"No."

"Alright, then I can hang out with you." After all, friends hang out, don't they? Hanging out would be at least one step in the direction of being friends.

"Only for an hour."

"One month."

"Try one day."

"Two weeks?

"Two days."

"That would work, or you could agree to one week, for a maximum 4 hours per day. We don't have a whole lot to do for the next week anyway, but after that we'll be busy with our teams. That's a total of 28 hours that I could possibly spend with you, but two days gives me the option of spending 48 hours hanging out with you," Minato countered with a smug look on her face.

"Fine, but you're already losing."

"That's okay. We never set a time limit, after all, so I can take as long as I want to."

Tsunade glared at the two girls whose stomach aches she'd just treated. "What possessed you to eat that much? It shouldn't even be physically possible. I ought to have had your stomachs pumped!" Tsunade's glare redirected itself to her brother, who had tried to sneak away as she chastised Kushina and Minato. "And you! You ought to know better than to let them eat that much! You even enabled Kushina by paying for it and goading her on! What would Mito-baa-san say?"

"'Who won?'" He replied with false hope and humor in his voice.

"No, you idiot! You know very well what she'd say! Kushina's our guest and our cousin, and you ought to have been looking out for her better! You get to tell her why Kushina's late."

A frantic nurse stole Tsunade away as Nawaki's face paled for a second time that day and Kushina caught Minato's eye. "This isn't settled. I refuse to tie with some lame-butt know-it-all. I want a rematch tomorrow. Same time, same place. Loser also foots the other's bill. Deal?"

"Deal." Neither girl ever figured out how Nawaki's face became even more devoid of color at that moment, but Minato figured that she'd somehow made progress since Kushina agreed to spend time with her (even if that time was spent on a contest), and Kushina figured that maybe Minato wasn't so bad (after all, no one else had been able to match her in a ramen-eating contest).

Minato made a mental note to thank Shikaku and Inoichi for that chakra trick they used when participating in eating contests versus Choza. Without it, the third bowl would have been Minato's last.

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 **Author's Note:  
YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Thank you to those who have Reviewed, Favorited, and Followed. :) Also, thank you for reading this and having patience with me. Just so you know: I might take a ridiculous amount of time to update, but I really do not want to ever abandon it. If I ever do decide to abandon this, or any story, I will make an effort to write up a short summary of my ideas for how things would play out and end in the story along with a note that I would not be updating any more. At the very least, I would make a not in the summary and/or my profile that the story was abandoned. Hopefully, I will never need to do that.  
** **Sorry for how long it took to get this up! I've had it mostly written out for a few months now, I just needed to edit it. I like it much more now, and feel okay posting it, though there are a couple parts I'm still not completely happy with. On the up side: It's (just) over 1700 words!**

 **I'll be honest, my inspiration for this fic is fickle and fleeting, coming in short and intense bursts, so the amount of time it took for me to get this latest update out may not be atypical. On the up side: an idea has not been leaving me alone, so I may have another, very similar fanfic in the works.  
I want to do a more traditional SI!Female!Minato, where the person reincarnated as Female!Minato has all their previous memories, though the person wouldn't have encyclopedic knowledge of the Naruto-verse, just sort of a general idea of things with some people and events being more memorable than the rest. I want to do this as sort of a companion fic to Suitable Soul. It would fill in a lot of the gaps/timeskips that I'm (somewhat intentionally) leaving in Suitable Soul, and it would be written in first person perspective and present tense, starting from when Minato is about 1.5-2 years old.  
I kind of want to write both fics and sort of compare/contrast how things happen when Minato just has general factual knowledge (stuff you'd learn in school/books/internet) from her past life (like in Suitable Soul), as compared to when Minato has all her memories and experience intact (like in the fic I'm thinking of doing). The upside is that there will be noticeable differences and added details in the second fic. The downside is that I might decide to focus on one over the other. :/ I really don't want to wind up abandoning this fic. What do you guys think? **


	5. Author's Note and Sneak Peek!

**Author's Note! I will soon begin posting a new version of this. It will be titled _The Quick and the Dead_. It will have many differences, though there will also be several similarities. I apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause for you, as well as for the long wait. I cannot promise to be better about updating the new version, but I have a prologue and three chapters written. As thanks for having followed and/or favorited this fic, I am posting the prologue to _The Quick and the Dead_ along with this note. Also, if anyone wants to be a beta for the story, that would be awesome. Have a great day! :) **

**P.S. - Feel free to hit me up with any questions or comments you may have. :)**

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Dear Naruto,

You may wonder why I left this package for you with the toads, or indeed, why and how I knew to leave it with them. Suffice it to say that such questions will most likely be answered in the following documents I have written for you. I want do whatever I can to possibly help you, and I feel that you, at least, deserve to have some explanation. Your life is and will be difficult enough, though I have faith that you will find a way to prevail over whatever challenges you may face. The following papers contain secrets that I have revealed to no one else, and I hope that by reading my story you may better understand your own.

I know how your story happens - or at least I did, once upon a dimension. I believe that merely the nature of my existence has likely caused some changes to occur. One change that I can mention for certain is that, in another dimension, I was your father. You read that correctly. In another dimension, the person known as Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash, was a man who married your mother. That dimension's Minato died on his version of this very day. I do not know if I will survive today, or if I survive this day that I will continue to survive the days and years that follow it.

If you are reading this, I am currently either dead, or incapacitated in some manner. I have done as much as I could to prepare for this day; hopefully my efforts will result in fewer lives lost including my own. In the alternate dimension, Minato sealed the Kyuubi into you, his own son, at the cost of his own life.

As I recall, Minato did not want to do to another person's family member what he would not be willing to do to his own. Minato also realized that you would face many difficulties in life, and sealed the Kyuubi into you in order that you might have the strength to meet and surpass those challenges.

In this dimension, I do have an experimental seal that I believe will allow the Kyuubi to be safely sealed inside of you and that will not require the forfeiture of my life. However, there is always the possibility that the Kyuubi will kill me himself, or that I will be forced to use the same seal my alternate self used.

Naruto, if ever you are tempted to feel guilt over the lives lost to the Kyuubi, remember this: the blame lies on me alone. I could have used the information I possessed to prevent the series of events that lead to the Kyuubi attacking Konoha. As for why I did not do so? Well, I will get to that in the story.

I know the story of your life in the alternate dimension because it was a famous story in my previous dimension, and everything other than the nature of my existence and the changes I have wrought seem to match with what the story says. I, Minato Namikaze, was born in a small village in the Land of Fire, but I somehow retained my memories from my previous life in what I believe was another dimension. If you doubt my sanity, I hereby grant you, Naruto Uzumaki, the right to view my psychological evaluation results. Seeing as I just went in for my latest evaluation this morning and was deemed to be "…sane, sound of mind …and able to distinguish reality from fantasy," what I have written is not merely the ramblings of an insane woman. Also, the fact that I am not that much of a sadist may help convince you that I am not writing this as some cruel joke on you.

I can be extremely selfish, even when others may claim that I am kind. Indeed, even writing this out and leaving it for you is selfish, in a way. Writing my story has allowed me to confess many things that others may not know or even guess at, while leaving it for the toads to pass on to you relieves me from facing any derision or reprimand you may have for me. It even spares me from the possibility that you can forgive me, for some acts I have committed (or failed to commit) are reprehensible. That's the thing about heroes, Naruto: one person's hero is another's villain.

Perhaps I am judging myself too harshly, but I will leave that to history and you to decide. Naruto, I am no great writer, but I hope you may find some answers to questions you have had about yourself, Konoha, and life in general, especially if you desire to become a famous shinobi, such as the Hokage.

Sincerely,

Minato Namikaze


End file.
